Cooking Up Something 3
by StatsGrandma57
Summary: Leia wants to learn to cook. This was supposed to be a fluffy one shot but it's morphed into a fluffy more than one shot. Chapter 3 is up and this finishes the story.
1. Chapter 1

COOKING UP SOMETHING

Chapter 1

"So, still want to learn to cook?" Han asked Leia as he poured a cup of kaf from the decanter, handed it to her, and then poured himself one. It was the weekend, neither had to be anywhere for the next couple of days, and they were sitting in the dining room at the table that Han had built, made from dark wood that had been shaped and polished by none other than himself. Sunlight was pouring in the window, the warmth settling on them. Han was in his sleep pants, Leia in one of Han's old shirts, their legs languidly stretched out. Each one's hair was mussed and Han definitely needed a shave.

Moments like this were rare for them, and they cherished them, where they could relax completely. They'd been married for two months and it seemed to both that they spent too little time together, especially for newlyweds.

"Yes, I do."

"Okay, well, after we get showered up, we have to go foodshopping."

"We could just have it delivered."

"I like to check out stuff beforeI throw my credits down." Han had done all the foodshopping to this point. "It saves you from things like the wrong cut of traladon and tubers that a tauntaun stomped on."

"You always did pick out good stuff. Some of it I'm sure I don't know how you got it, and I'm not sure I want to."

"I always managed to get Amalarian pears for you." Han winked at her. "And asteria waters."

"For which I thank whatever gods provided you." She smiled broadly at him.

"Small price for keeping my wife happy."

"I wasn't your wife then."

"No, but I was hoping you would be." Han grinned at her. "Of course, I started wishing that about half an hour after I met you, but you knew that."

"I'm still having a hard time believing that you fell for me in the trash masher." Leia giggled at the memory.

"Well, it was like this: either I was going to kill you, or I was starting to like you." Both laughed, the sort of laughter that two people who've been through a lot together shared. They hadn't been married long, but they'd gone through more than many couples shared in a lifetime. War, as Han had wryly observed, tended to have that effect on people.

"I think I'm ready for the shower. Want to take your own, or will you be joining me?" Leia purred at Han as she finished the rest of her kaf.

"Hmm, shower alone, shower with Leia, shower alone, shower with Leia, shower...I'll go with shower with Leia." He took her hand and laughed as they headed for the 'fresher.

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The task of showering for Leia and Han had become a setting for some of their most intimate encounters. Today was no exception; both were slick and soapy and warm as they caressed each other's bodies.

Lips locked in a passionate kiss, Han with one hand on her shoulder and the other brushing the top of her ass, her arms wound around his hips.

Han's hands moved slowly from the gentle curve of Leia's shoulder to her collarbone, which he kissed reverently, and then traced the outlines of her breast in a fashion that made her shudder and moan with each touch, all the while her hands massaging Han's very nice ass. It was, in her opinion, but one of his many attractive physical attributes. Not that that was saying much; she loved all of him, body and soul, and her hands were traversing his body upwards, kneading the small of his back as he sighed with contentment, moving along his spine, her fingers brushing it gently at first, and working up to his shoulders, kneading them firmly, the way he loved it. Of all the things that they did together, being lovers was the sweetest. Ever since their first kiss, their physical bond was profound and continue to deepen and excite in new ways.

Han dipped down to join his lips to his wife's, their mouths open slightly so as to allow each to explore each other's tongues, slowly, gently, and skin met skin, Leia's nipples erect and Han's penis in the same condition, and both flushed from the warm water and the intense physical and emotional connection.

Lasting as long as they could, exploring every inch of skin as it was cleansed, the couple moved to the floor of the shower. Han gently lowered Leia over his erection, and she controlled her movements so as to make it last for both. She shuddered as she slipped just the tip of Han, allowing herself to climax as Han's voice urged her on.

"Oh gods, Han, I love you," Leia breathed as she shivered in delight.

"Don't stop don't stop don't stop," Han begged, his voice a whispery and sensual rasp.

They held out as long as possible and ended in a shimmering climax, both shuddering as they joined lips and held each other close. They were one body and one soul, embracing each other as they recovered from the intensity.

Han spoke first. "Water's getting cold."

"I was just thinking we should get ready to go foodshopping."

"Sweetheart, you already cooked up something delicious." Han murmured as he kissed her tenderly, holding Leia's head against his chest.

"I really do want to learn to cook. In the kitchen."

"We've done it on the dining room table. Does that count?"

"Get up, Flyboy. I want to make you a meal as memorable as our first kiss." Leia's tone was gentle and teasing.

"You mean inside a space slug?" Han kidded her back.


	2. Chapter 2

COOKING UP SOMETHING

Chapter 2

Leia marveled at the supermarket. She certainly had always been aware of their existence, but growing up in the palace had never had the opportunity to enter one. And during the war, rations were among the items she'd been responsible for purchasing, but she'd never been responsible for the pickup and delivery.

"Hey Solo!" A middle aged man called over to Han as he grabbed one of the roller baskets.

"Soufi, how goes it?" Han called back. "This is my wife, Leia. Leia, meet Soufi."

"Minister Leia, a pleasure," Soufi said, smiling and pumping her hand.

"Likewise. But call me Leia. Minister means I'm at work." She grinned and Soufi laughed. "Which at the moment I'm trying very hard not to be."

"Take it easy, Solo, and Leia," Soufi called as he headed off.

"Hi Han!" a lovely woman close to Soufi's age called out as she headed her roller basket to the checkout lanes.

"Neida, how's it going? Have you met Leia?"

"You have now," Leia said, smiling. "How are you?"

"It's an honor to meet the Minister of State," she said. "Han talks about your all the time."

"Some of it might be true." Both women laughed. "And I'm off the clock, so it's just Leia."

"Han, you take good care of this lady," Neida said to him.

Leia looked up at him. "How do you know all these people?"

"We run across each other here all the time. It's part of the experience. First stop is the snack aisle."

"I thought we were making dinner."

"But there're many hours till dinner. That requires snacks and beverages." By the time they arrived in the snack aisle, Han had run into three more people he knew and introduced Leia to, and the store, which was roughly the size of the _Falcon's_ hangar and crammed full of sentients of all sorts. Matching the sentients for variety was the selection of available foods and beverages. Leia located a couple items that she'd enjoyed on Alderaan. Obviously, they weren't produced on Alderaan but most planets contained their own markets and food producers. There was a lively import and export trade galaxywide, making it convenient if one needed specialty items.

Han grabbed some of the crackers he always ate. Leia went for the sweet biscuits. She was the member of the family with the sweet tooth. Han, not having had them much growing up, generally eschewed them, although he did like kavasa tarts.

"I'd like to learn to bake desserts," Leia informed him. "Where're the ingredients for that?"

"At home in our bed. That's my idea of dessert."

"Han!"

"Well, what's yours?"

"Something smothered in chocolate."

"Let's stick to getting dinner done. Next stop is wines and ales."

"Your favorite aisle," Leia teased.

"I like a good ale. Or beer. Or rum. Or brandy."

"Or anything else that gets you buzzed."

"Not true. I've never drunk Tatoinne ales. Never."

"Nice to know you have standards."

"Hey, I married a princess, didn't I?" Han winked at her. "Got everything you want on this aisle?"

"I've gotten everything I think I can get away with for now." As they headed to the end of the aisle, Leia spotted a few more treats and flung them into the roller basket. Han grinned at her.

After being stopped by three other individuals, Han began perusing the selections for ales.

"I see they don't carry Emera," Leia observed.

"They do sometimes. It's not exactly an easy wine to make. But they've got a lot of Alderaanian wines, so feast your eyes."

Leia did find a few selections, and added them to the collection of foodstuffs already chosen and four six-packs of Alderaanian ale.

"No comments about my sweet treats," Leia warned him.

"Who, me?" Han said, the look of innocence on his face. "Next stop, produce."

Leia knew what she liked there; she loved fresh fruits and vegetables. They weren't plentiful during wartime, but Han, Smuggler Extraordinaire, made sure he always found something that Leia liked.

Muja fruit, Jogan fruit, Kavas fruit, barabel fruit, Dantoinnian sphere fruit, dorian passionfruit, moonglow...a feast for the senses. Leia began to pick a few up.

"No, you gotta inspect 'em first," Han informed her. Han picked up one of the muja fruit. "This one's got a soft spot. You wanna make sure it's firm all around. But it depends on the fruit. A kavasa's only good after it's soft so you wanna stay away from the hard ones." They moved on from fruits to vegetables and Leia had learned how to select them.

"You want root vegetables?" Han eyed her quizzically.

"They remind me of good times on the _Falcon,_" Leia said simply.

"Good times on the _Falcon._ Hmm."

"Anytime we weren't being shot at or navigating an asteroid field or being almost devoured by a space slug. Those were good times."

Han grinned. "Yeah, they were. Especially in bed. No captain's quarters were ever that comfortable." He winked at Leia seductively. "Well, at least after you started sharing my bed."

"Something I'll be doing forever now," Leia said, putting her arm around Han's waist.

"You're not complaining, are you?"

"Do I look like I'm complaining - ooh, Amelarian pears!"

Han shook his head. This trip was going to be a lot more expensive than when he shoppped alone. But it was great fun watching Leia respond in amazement.

The next stop was the meat counter. Han ordered up the cuts from the butcher droid behind the counter and walked away with waterfowl, traladon ribs, nerf steaks, some cuts suitable for stew. From the fishmonger he took some of the ones he knew Leia liked. Spices finished off the trip, and Leia got her biggest surprise of all: the number of credits it cost.

"I can't believe how expensive it is!" She said to Han.

"Believe it, sweetheart. Now let's hit the kitchen."


	3. Chapter 3

COOKING UP SOMETHING

Chapter 3

"You know what I'd like to make?" Leia said to Han as she and Han brought the groceries back to their apartment and put them away.

"Your call," Han said amicably, hoping she didn't want to do something complex immediately.

"Those pancakes you make with kavasa fruit and gru'ul berries."

Han tried not to demonstrate his relief. "We can do that. First, fruit chopping."

"I think I can handle that." Han had seen her cut up fruit on occasion. Her technique left a lot to be desired.

"Here, let me show you how to make it easier and faster," he said, trying not to be condescending. He took the marble chopping block and a sharp knife. "This is the best knife for chopping up the fruits we're using. Here's a tip: easiest way to do it is, hold your arms up against your sides and keep them close to the counter. You can go faster and your sleeves stay clean."

"Did you learn this from Dewlanna?"

"I did. Can you imagine food on Wookiee fur?"

"All things being equal, I'd rather not." Both laughed as Han gently laid his hands over Leia's and helped her learn the motion.

"See? You're getting it."

"Still feels a little awkward."

"Well, we're gonna go slow. Relax, honey. This isn't trying to get the five planets of Corellia to agree on something."

"Let's just say you come by your stubbornness honestly."

"Oh, and you're not stubborn at all," Han teased.

"I'm not." The fruit was now fully cut up. "Now what?"

"Batter, of course. We need flour, sugar, eggs, milk, and bicarb." The two pulled the items needed and placed them on the counter. "The order we add these things doesn't matter, but in some things, it matters a lot." Han instructed her to measure things out. "If the batter's too thin, add more flour, and too thick, more milk. Then we let it sit for a few minutes. The bicarb makes the batter nice and fluffy. We'll heat up the oil. Add about two fingers' worth and then turn the heat to high. Don't let it smoke."

"So how do I know when it's ready?"

"Practice. Unfortunately, with some things, you just gotta try it out. Usually takes three minutes, give or take. See, you've got a nice batter just waiting to be dropped in the oil. So while we're waiting, let's clean this up. Clean as you go isn't a concept, it's a lifestyle."

"I always wondered how you'd get a meal on the table in the _Falcon_ and there was hardly any cleanup afterwards."

"Now you know." In the process of chopping, measuring and mixing, there was a considerable mess of utensils, ingredients and fruit cores lying about the counters.

"I seem to have made a mess."

"Relax, sweetheart! This is a whole different world!" He handed Leia a ladle and a hot mitt. "Ready to drop the first ones?"

"Here goes nothing," Leia said, wanting desperately to do it right. She ladled the batter into the hot grease. It disappointed her that instead of looking like the finely rounded fritters that Han produced, they were misshapen. "Yours look better."

"Leia, it's your first time around! And they'll be great."

She smiled at him. "I have a most excellent teacher."

"Edges are starting to brown. That's the signal to flip 'em over." Han handed Leia a slotted spoon. "Go for it. Oh, and stand back a bit. They tend to spray."

Leia approached the pan of boiling oil with some trepidation. She gingerly turned one of the puffy, browning items over, and the oil sprayed her arm, causing her to yowl.

"I'm never going to get this right," she moaned as Han handed her a flimsy dipped in cool water.

"Leia, when things go badly in negotiations, what do you do?" Han asked her.

"Try not to kill them. And later on, drink some wine."

"See? I'd have probably given up and pulled out my blaster."

"Followed by a drink?"

"No, followed by several drinks." The two laughed, just enjoying each other's company. They were often frustrated due to work demands, and the times they could be together and just live.

The pancakes were done, and Leia served them up.

"Not as good as yours," she said.

"Will you stop being so hard on yourself? I nearly burned up the _Falcon_ a few times when I was learning."

"Sure you did."

"Ask Chewie. He's got stories."

"Most of his stories involve crazy things you did."

"Learning to cook would qualify."

"He still hates your music."

"Too bad. Now if you didn't like it, I'd stop."

"Don't you dare."

"Good, because I'm working on a couple songs for you."

Leia blushed and smiled shyly.

"You are my best inspiration. What, I'm gonna write songs about a Wookiee?"

"I don't know. You and Chewie have been together a long time."

"Yeah, but it's not like we were - please, brain bleach!"

Leia laughed uproariously as they ate the pancakes. By the time they finished the food, they were still laughing over their craziest adventures during wartime.

"And here I was gonna stay behind," Han said. "I'm glad I let your crazy brother talk me into it." He grinned slyly at her.

"Me too."

Both stared at the empty plate where there had once been pancakes.

"See, they were pretty good," Han told her.

"You're not exactly unbiased."

"When it comes to food, I'm completely unbiased. When it comes to my wife, well, that's a different story."

"Good thing."

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Han was off on another mission, and Leia spent two days off planet negotiating with the Selonians. She arrived home a few days before he did, and took the time to practice her culinary skills. She made the pancakes again; her technique was still sloppier than she would have liked, but they made for a delicious breakfast, and she was learning to time them better. She tried a traladon roast, which came out dry and unappetizing, and made some gravy for it, which was not the best she'd ever tasted. But she had time to try it again, and the third time, the roast was cooked properly, and the gravy was edible. She broiled a nerf steak, overcooking it the first time as well. But Leia had success with tubers, and made an almost successful vegetable dish that Han cooked frequently.

So on the night he would come home, she knew that her meal would likely be less than perfect, but she really wanted to cook for Han. He'd done it so many times for her; it was her chance now.

She made the traladon stew, letting it simmer gently. Loaded tubers rounded out the meal. She'd been perusing desserts, and was eager to make one. She'd chosen a cake that looked uncomplicated.

"Whoa, smells good in here!" Leia left the kitchen and raced over to welcome her greatly missed husband home.

"I've missed you a lot," Han murmured as they began kissing and hugging, an activity that lasted a long time. They headed to the sofa to lie down together in a snug embrace.

"You're not the only one, flyboy," Leia said breathlessly.

"Don't worry, the stew's better the longer it cooks," Han said softly as they began undressing each other in great haste. Soon, they were naked and their desire for each other was raw and primal. They usually preferred making love slowly, but it had been three weeks since they'd been together, and becoming intimate was the first thing they wanted to indulge in. Their breathing was rapid, hearts pounding, and desire overwhelming, every part of their bodies pressed together, rapidly explored, and ending with Leia taking Han inside her in a single, deep motion, both crying out in ecstasy as they shared a shuddering climax.

The two laid quietly, cuddled against each other, not speaking, for a while. They breathed in each others' scents, listening to slowing heartbeats and breathing. Their clothing remained strewn about the floor, a testament to their hurried lovemaking.

Han sniffed the air. "Smells like something's burning."

"Oh my gods, the cake!" Leia leapt off the sofa at lightning speed, racing to the kitchen. She opened the baker and began coughing. Han came up behind her, both of them still naked. She reached in to grab the pan and charred remains of what might have been a cake.

Leia looked as if she was about to cry. Han wrapped his arms around her. "Aww, sweetheart. You wanted to do something nice to make me happy, and that means everything to me." He checked the stew and tubers, both of which looked incredibly good. "I think we should eat, but I got something for you."

Han grabbed his travel pack and pulled something out. Leia unwrapped the covering and held it up.

A chef's apron read 'Kiss The Cook.'

"And you'd better believe I'm gonna keep doing that," Han told her as he took her into his arms. "Now, how about we sit down and enjoy some delicious roast and tubers?"

"Naked?" Leia said, realizing they were still unclothed.

"You could put the apron on," Han teased. "No, let's get dressed and eat."

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"That was tasty," Han said to Leia as they cleaned up after the meal.

"You're not just saying that, I hope," Leia said to him.

"I'd only lie to get you in bed," Han promised, winking at her. "Seriously, honey, it was delicious."

"I seriously screwed up on the dessert."

"Not at all. Besides, you know what I want for dessert."

"Well, then, bon appetit!"

FINIS


End file.
